Battery-operated cigarette lighter



Nov. 21, 1967 J, G. BEHRENDT BATTERY-OPERATED CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed May 14, 1965 d/m/ ffiamewar United States Patent 3,354,291 BATTERY-OPERATED CIGARETTE LIGHTER John G. Behrendt, 1929 73rd Court, Elmwood Park, Ill. 60635 Filed May 14, 1965, Ser. No. 455,726 Claims. (Cl. 219-263) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable cigarette lighter which is battery-operated wherein the cigarette igniting filament is readily removable from the cigarette lighter as well as being disconnected from the electric circuit without disrupting the remaining circuitry so that the filament may be replaced when damaged or burned out.

The invention may be used in association with various apparatus, such, for example, as a standard type radio, in which case the power source for the radio is utilized for energizing the filament of the lighter. Such a batteryoperated cigarette lighter is shown in my United States Patent No. 3,098,923 dated July 23, 1963.

While the cigarette lighter illustrated in such patent has proven highly satisfactory and efficient for the purposes for which it is intended I have found that due to constant or heavy use of the lighter, the filament becomes damaged or rendered useless, resulting in an inoperative lighter. In the case of the cigarette lighter shown in my aforesaid patent, the filament-supporting non-conductive plate is so arranged in the assembly as not to permit its ready removal, such removal and replacement of the plate requiring labor and special tools; the lighter is therefore rendered unusable during the period that such special service is required for the replacement of such plate.

The object of this invention is the employment of a non-conductive filament-supporting plate arranged in the cigarette lighter in such manner that the plate may be quickly and easily removed and replaced without the use of special tools or service and without rendering the lighter unusable for any length of time.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective my invention is associated;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the parts in different position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the interior of the back plate;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of certain elements of the lighter illustrated in exploded relation with respect to each other;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 4 but showing a modified form of construction;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the modified form of construction illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a suggested circuit embodied in my invention.

In the drawings I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention by which the several objects are accomplished. In this connection I have shown my improved cigarette lighter associated with a radio indicated view of a radio with which at 10. Such radio includes a removable non-conductive back plate 11 normally secured in position upon the casing by any approved means.

Within the back plate 11 are confined the components making up my improved lighter. In this connection a conductive shutter 12 including a laterally extending portion 13 is pivoted to the back plate as at 14. The shutter 13 is in co-planar relationship with the adjacent side 15 of the back plate 11 and has a circular portion 16 which normally closes an opening 17 formed in the back plate 11. The circular portion 16 of the shutter 12 operates between the back plate 11 and a non-conductive supporting plate 18.

The plate 18 is spaced from the back plate 11 by tubular conductive sleeves 19 secured in any approved manner to the back plate 11, the sleeves being disposed in spaced relation with respect to the opposite corresponding side edges of the circular portion 16 of the shutter 12, a sufficient distance to permit the shutter to pivot therebetween.

The non-conductive plate 18 carries oppositely disposed conductive pins 20 which are removably frictionally fitted into the sleeves 19 in such manner as to permit ready removal of the plate 18 from its mounting on the sleeves 19. The shutter 12 carries a finger stud 21 which extends laterally from the shutter 12 through an arcuate slot 22 formed in the back plate 11 in spaced relation with respect to the opening 17.

Carried by the non-conductive plate 18 is afilament 23 having connection with the pins 20 through the medium of conductor wires 24. The filament 23 is disposed directly to the rear of the opening 17, which opening is normally closed by the shutter 12. A spring 25 having one end portion 26 connected to the back plate 11 and an opposite end portion 27 connected to the shutter 12, serves to pivot the shutter in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, to maintain the shutter in closing position with respect to the opening 17.

Each of the sleeves 19 by means of conductors 28 and 29 are connected to the opposite ends of a battery 29' (schematically shown in FIG. 7) secured in place within the casing by suitable spring clips 30 and 31 in a manner substantially the same as that disclosed in my aforesaid Patent No. 3,098,923.

Adjacent the contact 32 is a similar contact 32 which by a conductor 33 is connected to the other of the sleeves 19. Thus, when the shutter 12 is pivoted by engagement of the finger of the hand with the finger stud 21, the shutter is pivoted against the action of the spring 25 to expose the filament 23 through the opening 17 and to bridge the contacts 32 and 32' whereby to set up an electric circuit between the batteries and the filament 23. The tip of the cigarette is thereupon inserted through the opening 17 into contact with the filament 23 to be ignited by the lighter. After the cigarette has been lit, the user of the lighter releases the stud 21 and the shutter 12 pivots back into closing position with relation to the opening 17 and from engagement with the contacts 31 and 33 by the action of the spring 25.

Should the filament 23 be damaged or otherwise rendered useless, for example, as a result of constant engagement of the cigarette tip with the filament or the collection of burned fragments or ashes -of tobacco thereupon, the user removes the back plate 11 from the casing and by grasping the plate 18 between his thumb and third finger, lifts the plate 18 from its mounting sleeves 19 and either replaces the plate with another plate or removes the burned fragments or ashes which have collected upon the filament 23.

By storing within the casing in any suitable manner a spare filament-supporting plate of the form shown at 18, the user of the cigarette lighter will always have at 3 hand a plate for replacement purposes, thus eliminating n erruntien .e th sefulness o the cigarette lighter- In the modified form shown in FIGS. and 6, I have substituted for the mounting sleeves 1'9, bifurcated finger clips 19; in the bifurcation of which the end portions 9f the plate 1.8 are yield-ably and removably held. In this form of construction, the plate 18' carries contacts 20 Wh h hgeg the s ring l p 1 n th P te 1 is mounted thereupon. The remaining parts shown in E1633. 5 and are similar to those 'shpwn in FIGS. ,3 and .4 and are indicated by like reference numerals. The operation of the form shown in FIGS. 5 and .6 is substantially identical to that shown in the form of construction illusated in. FIGS- 3 and 4- While I have illustrated and described the preferred rm t enst het en fe a ryin m n e ti into e f this is capable of variation and modification without de- Part n i em th s irit e the in entio er do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construe t desire to evail myself of such variations 5 as eeme w t n he s ope f the apbended l i'm "Havi g hus de cribed my invention, wh t I claim as new hhtl siee re e rete t by L s P te t is:

A att r -w e es igar t e l gh e i a ing ine h'd is e eheehd e ve a l h ng a c a tt t p ei h evening erme t ere n and' po e et t e d hs a bat ery a i erette tin la t, a P of spaced apart contacts, and a shutter formed of a con: lh ma e e n m l e ee hs t e o nin an U able from behind such opening into engagement with the P r of pa d e nt to e i p t a ci cu t hro the I h teish ih fi am t w erein h im ro em n comprises:

a a nonconductive supporting plate carrying a cigarette igniting filament, i

(b) current-conducting connector means carried by the wall of the honsingand connected to the power circuit for mountingsaid supporting plate on to'the wall with the filament carried thereby behind the opening formed therein and in circuit with the batte y and (c) conductor means carried by said supporting plate and in circuit with the filament mounted thereon cooperating with said connector means for removabl y connecting said filament to said nonconductive wall and in circuit to said battery.

2. A battery-powered cigarette lighter as defined by claim 1 wherein said current-conducting connector means consists of a pair of current-conducting tubular sleeves carried by the nonconductive wall of the housing in spaced relation with respect to each other and to either side of the cigarette tip receiving opening with said sleeves heeted in the powe eu t- 3. A battery:powered cigarette lighter as defined by claim 1 wherein said conductor means comprise currentconducting pin members carried by the nonwnductive supporting plate and connected to .oppesite ends of the filament carried thereby and insertable into said currentconducting connector means carried by the wall of the housing for remoyably connecting said filament to the nonconductive wall and in circuit with the battery.

4. A battery-powered cigarette lighter as defined by claim 2 wherein said conductor means carried by said supporting plate comprises current-conducting pin mem bers connected to opposite ends of the filament carried by the supporting plate with said pins insertable into said current-conducting tubular sleeves carried by said nonconductive wall of the housing for connecting said filament thereto and in the power circuit.

5. A battery-powered cigarette lighter as defined by claim 1 wherein said current-conducting connector means consists of a pair of bifurcated spring clips carried by said nonconductive wall and connected in said power circuit and positioned on opposite sides of the cigarette tip receiving opening, with said clips removably receiving contacts carried by said nonconductive supporting plate with said contacts .conductively connected to the filament carried by said supporting plate for removably connect! ing the nonconductive supporting plate to the nonconductive wall .of the housing and said filament in circuit with the battery.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,475,534 7/1949 Wales 219-268 2,689,902 9/1954 Burtman 219268 3,098,923 7/ 196.3 Behrendt 219-268 3,777,271 10/1966 Hunt 219-268 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,203,030 7/ 1959 France.

RICHARD WOOD, Primary Examiner.

V. Y. MAYEWSKY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BATTERY-POWERED CIGARETTE LIGHTER IN A HOUSING INCLUDING A NONCONDUCTIVE WALL HAVING A CIGARETTE TIP RECEIVING OPENING FORMED THEREIN, AND A POWER CIRCUIT, INCLUDING A BATTERY, A CIGARETTE IGNITING FILAMENT, A PAIR OF SPACED APART CONTACTS, AND A SHUTTER FORMED OF A CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL NORMALLY CLOSING THE OPENING AND MOVABLE FROM BEHIND SUCH OPENING INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PAIR OF SPACED CONTACTS TO COMPLETE A CIRCUIT THROUGH THE CIGARETTE IGNITING FILAMENT, WHEREIN THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISES: (A) A NONCONDUCTIVE SUPPORTING PLATE CARRYING A CIGARETTE IGNITING FILAMENT, (B) CURRENT-CONDUCTING CONNECTOR MEANS CARRIED BY THE WALL OF THE HOUSING AND CONNECTED TO THE POWER CIRCUIT FOR MOUNTING SAID SUPPORTING PLATE ON TO THE WALL WITH THE FILAMENT CARRIED THEREBY BEHIND THE OPENING FORMED THEREIN AND CIRCUIT WITH THE BATTERY, AND (C) CONDUCTOR MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORTING PLATE AND IN CIRCUIT WITH THE FILAMENT MOUNTED THEREON COOPERATING WITH SAID CONNECTOR MEANS FOR REMOVABLY CONNECTING SAID FILAMENT TO SAID NONCONDUCTIVE WALL AND IN CIRCUIT TO SAID BATTERY. 